


Acceptable Behavior

by Runie (Runic)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Children, Family, Jotunn | Frost Giant, M/M, Manipulation, Racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-07
Updated: 2014-03-07
Packaged: 2018-01-14 21:36:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1279708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runic/pseuds/Runie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor loves his daughter, and one day all of Asgard will as well.</p><p>Sequel to Acceptable Gifts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Acceptable Behavior

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DreamingMoonlight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamingMoonlight/gifts).



> As with the previous fic, this one is a gift for beckerbell, so I hope you enjoy it. :) I just really really wanted to Thor’s children. They’re cute.

Ingimóð’s hand slowly reaches up to touch the back of her head. It comes away sticky, covered in blood and mud. She stares at her fingers for a long moment, shocked into inaction. She has received dirty looks, harsh whispers behind her back, been avoided by her peers, all for the ignorant hatred of her mother’s heritage; a heritage Ingimóð visibly shares on her own skin. Never before though has anyone actually had the gall to assault the youngest Princess of Asgard.

Æsa, holding onto Ingimóð’s other hand, throws an annoyed look over her shoulder when her sister stops following. Her eyes lock onto the dark drops of blood staining Ingimóð’s fingertips, and her pale cheeks go red. Æsa lets out a fierce battle cry, surprisingly terrifying and loud for one so young and with such small lungs. (Although Mother has always said that Æsa was born screaming and never stopped.) She drops her sister’s hand and charges past Ingimóð to Drengi. Ingimóð does not have to look behind her to know something has broken by the sick crunching sound that follows Æsa’s yell. Frankly, Ingimóð could care less if Æsa beats Drengi into pulp, he is a horrible little menace, but Næmr, always conscious of the consequences of their actions, is not so willing to sit back and watch Æsa break all of Drengi’s bones.

Næmr rushes after Æsa and pulls her off Drengi, but not before she has shoved him into the dirt and broken Drengi’s nose along with cracking a few ribs. Ingimóð finally turns around, calm, graceful, and deadly, a perfect imitation of how her mother would move. Næmr is struggling to hold Æsa back. Certainly he is using his magic to do so, otherwise Æsa would have broken away from him by now. Æsa has inherited the deadly combination of their father’s recklessness and their mother’s temper, while Næmr inherited Thor’s compassion mixed with Loki’s love of knowledge. Ingimóð is not certain what she inherited from her parents, perhaps nothing save her blue skin, which she refuses to see as something that makes her lesser, but she has never been in doubt that she is her parents’ beloved daughter.

“Æsa, calm down!” Næmr shouts. He curses under his breath when Æsa’s elbow nearly takes him in the temple.

“He assaulted a member of the royal family! We should have him drawn and quartered for such an offense!”

It always made Ingimóð feel warm and loved when Æsa threatens to destroy people for her.

There is more shouting, but Ingimóð tunes them all out in favor of focusing her magic into the cut. First, she must make sure the wound is clean of dirt, and then carefully bring together the inner layer of skin. Lastly, she encourages the outer layer of skin to start healing, but leaves enough so it will finish healing on its own. Her body knows it has been injured and will be searching for a wound. The first thing Loki and Eir stressed to her and Næmr when they began learning healing magic was always to leave something for the body to heal, otherwise the immune system becomes confused and instead of healing it begins attacking the body, causing a cancer like effect to spread rapidly.

And just as Ingimóð turns her attention back to the argument at hand, Drengi does the stupidest thing he has done all day, even more so than throwing the mud and rock clump at Ingimóð’s head. “-nothing more than the child of a Jotun whore!”

In the heat of his anger, Drengi does not realize he has set the stage for Ingimóð’s best trick: manipulation. “Did you just accuse the Allmother of treason?”

Ingimóð does not raise her voice, she does not need to. In Asgard, the word ‘treason’ is like a blow to the gut that steals away the breath. It is never a word said lightly, and Ingimóð does not use it as such. “As I am sure you know, despite your idiocy, it is treason for the Allmother to break his vows and take another to bed.” It is an ancient law from Asgard’s founding, put in place not to ensure the legitimacy of the children, there are technologies that can easily reveal true parentage, but to keep peace between the heirs. The Allfather may sit upon the throne, but the Allmother is not without her power. A bastard child of hers could be raised as a challenger to the throne and drag Asgard into a civil war. “By calling the Allmother a whore, you accuse our mother of faithlessness. More than that, you call into question our legitimacy. I do hope you have evidence for such serious charges, otherwise the consequences for you are rather dire.”

“Thor would never execute a child, so I will call your mother whore all I want! And you as well!” Drengi shouts after recovering from his shock.

Æsa begins her struggle anew, and overhead a storm comes on comically fast, answering her sister’s anger. Ingimóð ignores it.

“You are right,” Ingimóð agrees, for one brief moment giving Drengi the false hope of victory. “But he will always remember. Even if you stop your slander, Father will never trust someone who despises his family. You will never join him in battle. You will never be an Einherjar. You will never be granted permission to leave Asgard and spread your hatred to other realms. You will die without glory or honor to your name. You will be _nothing._ ”

Drengi’s mouth works open and closed, but no words spill forth. Ingimóð has painted a picture of an Æsir’s worst nightmare, and Drengi knows it could very well become reality. His mouth finally shuts, but the anger in his eyes, the pure hatred tensing every muscle, does not dissipate. His friends pull at his arms, and after a few tries, and one last glare, Drengi allows himself to be dragged away.

“What is going on here?”

Ingimóð spins around at the sound of her father’s voice, her face breaking out into a smile. Thor stares at his children’s dirty clothes with an exasperated look. Loki follows behind, slowed down as little Vilgerðr makes her way determinedly towards her elder siblings.

“Father!” Ingimóð shouts, hiking up her skirts and running to Thor.

Thor laughs and opens his arms wide, engulfing her in his strong embrace as he picks her up. As soon as she is settled, Loki’s hands are in her hair, searching for her wound. Ingimóð immediately holds still until her mother’s fingers vanish. “Hmm, you are definitely progressing, but you need to watch how much encouragement you give the epidermis. It has scrunched up rather sloppily. If this were a more serious wound you’d be left with a scare.”

“Yes, Mother,” Ingimóð answers. It is Loki’s way to offer a compliment and a lesson at the same time. Mother never sugar coats things, for he believes they will not learn anything if he does. Ingimóð prefers it that way.

 She lays her head on her father’s shoulder, kicking her leg gently as Æsa and Næmr crowd around, demanding their parents’ attention. When Vilgerðr falls onto her backside, Æsa pounces and begins tickling their little sister’s stomach relentlessly. Vilgerðr screeches and laughs, while Næmr looks on as if he cannot belief he is related to two such delinquents.

“Are you all right?” Thor whispers, kissing the top of Ingimóð’s head.

“Drengi is nothing I cannot handle, Father,” Ingimóð assures him.

Thor laughs softly, causing Ingimóð to smile as well. “I am proud of you, my brilliant daughter.”

It is moments like this one that Ingimóð cherishes, for she knows no matter what happens there will always be people who love her.

/

Thor is fully prepared to storm the courtyard and send his children’s torments running. The only thing that stops him is Loki’s hand on his arm and the sharp order, “Stop.” Thor spins to face him, barely contained anger fizzling when he sees the cold look in Loki’s eyes. Normally Loki would be the first one to destroy anyone who threatened their children, even if they were children themselves, but right now there is the familiar spark of dark satisfaction that causes Thor to hesitate. “Wait and watch, my love,” is all Loki says. Thor huffs, but does as Loki suggests and waits at his husband’s side.

It hurts whenever the old prejudices are turned against his precious Ingimóð. He loves all his children; he loves Næmr’s serious nature and his dedication to the pursuit of knowledge; he loves Æsa’s brash recklessness and her absolute love for life; but Ingimóð combines the best of both he and Loki. She is already clever enough to study the political maneuverings of the realms; she has the tenaciousness needed to pursue what is best for those she cares about; she enjoys studying laws and economics. Ingimóð is the obvious choice for his heir, save that Ingimóð has a tendency to be cold and unsympathetic with those who need her to be otherwise. Now that Thor is looking on it from the outside, he sees his daughter being treated with such mistrust and fears she will fall into the same darkness Loki did. And if she does, there is no guarantee they will be lucky enough a second time to pull her back.

Thor watches as Æsa jumps on Drengi, he hears the sounds of breaking bones. He makes a mental note to start training Æsa in controlling berserker rage. He will not have her go off to battle when she will be a danger to foe, friend, and self.

And then Ingimóð, clever little Ingimóð, takes her assailant apart with words instead of blows. It hurts to hear such horrible things said about Loki and Ingimóð, but she handles the whole thing so skillfully Thor’s anger turns to overwhelming pride.

“You see, love,” Loki whispers to him, leaning against his arm, “our children are already powerful.”

Before Thor can answer something latches onto his leg. Vilgerðr peeks around Thor’s leg into the courtyard. “Ovv?”

“Yes, darling,” Thor says, smiling down at his youngest. “It is all over now. Shall we go greet your siblings?”

Vilgerðr shoves herself away from Thor and starts taking unsteady steps forwards. She has only been walking for a few days, but already she is determined to go everywhere by herself.

“What is going on here?” Thor asks, announcing their presence to the triplets.

“Father!” Ingimóð shouts, her face lighting up when she sees him. She runs to him and throws her arms around his neck. Thor wraps his arms around her small form and picks her up, unable to keep the smile off his face.

If only others could see this side of Ingimóð, they would know what a wonderful queen she could be. But there is time. Thor will not let Ingimóð fall into darkness. She will know love from all Asgard, she will learn compassion once she sees the good they are capable of, and she will continue Asgard’s age of prosperity long after Thor and Loki leave their children to make legacies of their own. If Thor does nothing else with the rest of his life, he will ensure that this at least comes to pass.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Names:**  
>  Næmr: quick at learning, one who is very composed and confident  
> Æsa: to stir up, incite, stir up war  
> Ingimóð: ingi, uncertain (possibly lance/staff) or related to a god  
> móð, temperament, wrath, courage  
> Vilgerðr : Vil, will, liking, favor  
> gerðr, fence, defense


End file.
